So Much to Update, So Little...Energy

I know. I know. I've been a slacker the last week or so and I'm sure you're all sitting on the edge of your seats just a wondering about what has been going on in this Pennington household. Believe me when I say that I had all good intentions of updating my blog every day, but simply lack the motivation to do so. I actually have several post ideas floating around in my head. In fact they take up quite a bit of thinking space and I really do need to get them out. Eventually I will, but for now I feel the need to vent.

Christmas came and went. I'm guessing Santa forgot to bring me what I asked for...a brand new baby girl. I know what you're thinking, "Hills, you're only 37 weeks." I get it, but for those of you who don't live in my body, you have no idea how painfully uncomfortable I've been for the last few weeks. It's been down right miserable, and it takes everything in me to not resort to downright complaining (and most of the time I fail). At my last appointment, not much had changed. I'm still at 2 cm and 75% effaced and my cervix is very anterior (whatever that means). She's still at 0 station, which is good that she hasn't changed her mind and retreated. That was on Friday. Since that appointment I've had braxton hicks contractions on and off. Here's the deal though...they start everyday around dinner time and get stronger and stronger until they just stop sometime in middle of the night. Each night, they seem more like the onset of real labor leaving me confused and eventually discouraged (not to mention exhausted).

Today I'm taking the boys to the mall. I can walk around a bit, do a little after Christmas shopping, and they have a fabulous play area where the boys can expend some energy. Plus it passes the time, and maybe just maybe when the contractions start tonight, they will end with a slimy baby in my arms.

On a different note, Christmas was good. We started out the day here at home opening presents and enjoying each other's company. It was a particularly painful day for me, but I endure it and Neil was able to endure me. Owen is finally starting to catch on to the idea of Santa Claus, though he still won't go near him. It was fun to watch him open presents and actually get excited about what he got. Blake still doesn't get it, but has a great time tearing the paper off the presents.

As Owen emptied his stocking, he found a Pez dispenser and inherently knew it was candy. Of course Neil, being the good dad that he is, put it together for him and showed him how to use it. Literally within seconds, Owen was shoving pieces of candy into his mouth. He shoveled through both packs of candy and was trying to open Blake's dispenser before we knew it. My child, the candy freak.

Blake was enthralled by his tool box which was surprising to me. It's hard to shop for a 18 month old who has an older brother. They basically play with the same stuff, but we wanted him to have something to open for himself (whether it becomes a community toy or not). Since Santa brought the tool box, it was laying out for him when he walked in the room (Santa doesn't wrap presents...what's the point?). He went straight for it and played with it for several minutes before he even noticed the other toys lying around. Even this morning he was seen tramping around the house tool box in hand.

All right folks time to head out to the mall in hopes to encourage a certain little girl to grace us with her presence. I promised more blog postings in the days to come, complete with the year's best Christmas presents, a train garden or two, the Pennington Christmas letter, pictures, and more. Until then, happy laboring (at least for me).